The death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy has Massachusetts' political class speculating, in not-so-hushed tones, about the odds of a next-generation Kennedy running for and winning the seat.

But here in Rhode Island, we have our own tale of legacy and succession.

The death last month of State Representative Thomas C. Slater — like Kennedy, a voice for the disenfranchised — has created a vacancy, an abbreviated campaign, and plenty of chatter about the value of a family name.

Scott Slater, a budget analyst for the city of Providence who ran his father's campaigns for the last 15 years, declared for the elder Slater's seat just weeks after the long-serving Assemblyman lost a lengthy battle with cancer.

And while political operatives in Massachusetts expect any Kennedy candidacy to scare away at least some potential competitors, Scott Slater faces a large slate of rivals in what has long been a fractious district in the West End of Providence.

Twelve candidates — eight Democrats, three Republicans, and an independent — filed for the seat last week and have until September 8 to collect 50 signatures from voters if they hope to land on the ballot.

Several of the potential candidates could pose a real threat to Slater in what is expected to be a low turnout race. Indeed, observers say some 200 votes should be enough to win.

John M. Kelly, president and CEO of Meeting Street School and ally of Mayor David N. Cicilline, raised a bundle of cash in anticipation of a mayoral run that fizzled when Cicilline decided to stay put this election cycle.

Paul Doughty, president of the Providence firefighters union, is expected to garner at least some labor support. Raymond Tomasso once held a City Council seat in the area. Observers say candidates Jenny L. Jourdain and Ana Quezada could be wildcards.

And those are just the leading Democrats.

Tomasso's son John is gearing up for an independent run. Maryelyn Alba-Acevedo and Wilbur Jennings, both independents, have both run for office before and have some name recognition. In a topsy-turvy field, even Republican Maurice Green could have a shot.

But with a compressed election schedule in place — the primaries are set for October 6 and the general election is slated for November 10 — most observers say Slater's name recognition makes him the odds-on favorite.

"He's almost running as an incumbent," said Jennifer Lawless, a former political science professor at Brown University who is now the director of the Women in Politics Institute at American University in Washington, DC.

While the prospect of a Kennedy hold on the Massachusetts Senate seat has at least some concerned about the perils of political dynasty — see Mary Ann Sorrentino's piece on this page — there is little such worry when it comes to lower profile office.

And Rhode Island's appetite for family politics seems rather bottomless, anyhow. Just ask anyone who has run against a Kennedy, Lynch, Caprio or Roberts in this state.

Slater, for his part, says he will have to stand on his own two feet. But he is not shy about wrapping his arms around his father's legacy. "My father always believed that those of us who made it . . . into the middle class had a duty to help those who hadn't," he said.

What’s next for Cicilline? Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline rode into office seven years ago as the fresh-faced anti-Buddy. Bleach for a soiled City Hall.

What now? Representative Patrick J. Kennedy's campaigns were always about something far larger than Rhode Island's First Congressional District, which snakes from Burrillville down through the Blackstone Valley and into Newport.

Senate shuffle Don’t count Ted Kennedy out just yet, but the prognosis immediately set minds thinking about the inevitable departure of Kennedy from the US Senate, where he has served since 1962.

Strange bedfellows Wait, lemme get this straight: Was that Howie Carr — who's known for accompanying on-air references to homosexuality with a crude audio approximation of gay sex — happily schmoozing with guest Randy Price this past week?

The annunciations The broad brush strokes of Teddy Kennedy's presidential announcement may have uplifted liberal hearts, but Jerry Brown's announcement challenged liberal thinking with some pencil-sharp specifics about the role of government in economic planning for the 1980s.

Public and private affairs Philandering, like heavy drinking, traditionally has been one of those activities that the boys in the press keep mum about when reporting on the boys on the Hill, or the boy in the White House, or any boy, for that matter. The rationales for this silence are curiously contradictory.

Ted's turn A little-known provision in the crime bill now being negotiated by a House-Senate conference committee would greatly expand the number of prison cells available to house violent criminals, and it wouldn't be cost a dime. But it may be doomed unless Senator Ted Kennedy is willing to spend some political capital.

Going Mobil Washington – If ideology wasn't already dead in presidential politics, the plug was pulled on its support system last Monday, when the Kennedy campaign announced that its advertising and polling would be organized by Mobil Oil's vice-president of public affair, Herbert Schmertz.

Tormenting Teddy After 32 years in the US Senate, Ted Kennedy remains a force to be reckoned with, both for his legendary family history and his considerable accomplishments.

Shooting from the lip Washington – Edward M. Kennedy's presidential campaign has a serious problem, and the problem appears to be Edward M. Kennedy. During the week in which leadership was transformed from a word in the lexicon of his campaign rhetoric to a measurable reality, Kennedy succeeded in verbally vanishing himself to a political isolation.

Ted Kennedy's real record When a 32-year incumbent seeks re-election, there is a long and well-documented record that can be examined. So it's disconcerting to note that admit all the miles of newsprint and videotape that have been expended covering the US Senate campaign, little has been said of what Ted Kennedy has or hasn't accomplished.

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